Sandstorm
by Shmeeko
Summary: Desert life is harsh: there is a hierarchy of things and if you don't follow it, those above you seek to punish you.  The weak are picked on and outsiders are shunned - but in the midst of a dangerous sandstorm, an unlikely pair break the cycle.


**Woo! Scraggy/Scrafty love!**

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><p>The desert sandstorm was harsh and unforgiving as a lone scraggy dragged himself with difficulty through the deep sand. Every step was a challenge to his short legs, physically unable to lift them as high as they needed to be to make his travel easier. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard if the sandstorm wasn't so fierce. The wind kept blowing grains of sand into his eyes and it pelted against his skin. It didn't help that out here in the desert there really was no shelter for him to get out of the storm. He had a place in mind, the problem was getting there.<p>

With a huff of determination and a decision to make it there in good time, the little reptile tried to push himself faster. However, that first step to good progress was much deeper than he thought it would be, and the lizard sunk shoulder-deep into the sand.

"You're kidding," he squeaked to himself, already struggling to get a firm enough hold on the sand around him so he could drag himself out. It proved to be quite the challenge, as it took him a few minutes just to wiggle his hips above the sand line. In addition, he had to be cautious when pulling himself up, for too much weight on any other section of the ground would see him sinking all over again.

When he managed to get one foot back onto the surface, he took a moment to breathe, resting his chin on the ground and staring absently ahead with a frown. However, the frown was quickly wiped away and placed with curiosity upon seeing a familiar shape walking by him just a few paces away.

"Hey!" he called, waving an arm as he pulled his other foot up. If the figure had heard him, it pretended not to. "Hey, over here!" He pushed his torso up with one arm as he spoke, which proved to be a terrible mistake. The grains parted beneath his hand and sucked him in, this time sending him headfirst into the deep sand, his legs squirming in the air for a foothold.

He stopped when he realized the waving of his legs was only driving him deeper into the sand. He huffed, only to regret the action when sand blew back in his face.

Just then, he heard the distinct crunching of sand above, the tell-tale sound of footsteps as they came towards him. At this, he wasn't sure how to react. Maybe calling out to the figure hadn't been the best of ideas. He was an easy target here.

Unconsciously, he brought in his knees as close as he could manage with the idea of disappearing into the sand all together.

He heard a muffled voice, then something wrapped around his tail.

On instinct, he started squirming again, even as the grip on his tail pulled him up and out of the sand, suspending him in the air and left him face-to-upside-down-face with a scrafty, the very thing he aspired to grow in to.

"What are you doing?" it said, obviously male.

"Sand-fishing," the scraggy blurted, eager to respond but not quite sure how. One look at the scrafty's unimpressed expression and the little reptile knew he'd made another error. "It was an accident!" he said quickly, holding up his hands as if to defend himself from that look. "I was only trying to get out of this storm when I fell in...and then...things just started going downhill."

The larger lizard started for a while as if in thought, then shrugged and dropped his younger counterpart back to the sand. Without a word he turned and walked, hands habitually finding the pockets within his pants. The scraggy stared in surprise for a few long seconds, before scrambling to follow.

"H-hey," he said quickly, stumbling through the soft sand while trying to keep up, "what are you doing out here? It's not often that scrafty stay in the desert when they evolve...Is your group here?"

"Group?"

"Don't you...travel in groups?"

The reptile shrugged, leaving his younger comrade hesitant to speak again as he thought. The whole 'group' thing was what he looked forward to. The day he grew up, he would be tough enough to leave the desert and be accepted into a scraggy gang - a group that would keep him healthy and strong and in good company.

"Where's your ga- uhm. Group?"

Again, the reptile shrugged dismissively, but the scraggy was curious and really wanted a proper answer - to any of his questions.

"What are you doing out in this storm?"

"Walking."

"Well...yeah...but why?"

"Why not?"

"It's dangerous!"

"For you, maybe."

The scrafty seemed to pick up the pace, making it harder for his young follower to keep up.

"Do you have a name?"

"Do you?"

"Well, yeah!"

"Well, there's your answer."

The youngster huffed.

"I mean, what _is _your name?"

"Ragland."

"Ragland?" the scraggy echoed, sounding confused. "What kind of name is Ragland?"

"My name," the scrafty paused to hiss this over his shoulder in distaste, unconsciously giving the smaller reptile time to catch up. Only when the little one started speaking again did Ragland start walking again.

"Oh, I guess that's sort of a cool name," the little one babbled, stumbling and slipping in the sand as his short legs tried to match the wider stride of his elder. "My name's Noah. I've lived out in this desert my whole life!"

"Fascinating."

"If you're looking for a place to wait out this storm, I've got a cave not too far from here; it's got berries and everything!"

"Thanks," said the scrafty, not looking back, "but no thanks. I've got things to do."

"All the way out here?"

"You bet."

Noah hesitated and came to a halt in the sand, wide eyes brimming with concern as they stared into the lithe back of the scrafty ahead of him. Now, when he took the time to study him, the boy noticed there was something strange in the way his elder counterpart walked. Only after thinking to himself for a few seconds was he able to verify that the scrafty was limping and doing his very best to hide it.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay on your own?"

"Fine."

"Why are you limping?" At this, Ragland stopped, now standing a few paces ahead of the little lizard, staring ahead. "If you need it, the berries I have have healing properties - they help me whenever I feel sick."

Still, the scrafty did not speak, only turning his head slightly to gaze back at the little creature being baffled by the sand.

"Please? If not for your own sake, for mine? You helped me out of the sand, it's the least I can do! Besides, the desert is a terrible place to wander wounded...there are monsters who will take advantage of that." Noah stared, large eyes wide and pleading as he waited for a response. He really wanted to do something for Ragland, something in return for being helped and besides, it's not every day one finds a scrafty in the wild.

"How far?" he asked at last.

"Not far at all! I was heading there when I fell and we're closer to it now than we were then!" Eager to please and convinced that the scrafty's question meant yes, Noah scrambled forward and grabbed the fighter's arm, towing him off towards the place he called home.

"You live out here on your own?"

"Yup! But were it any different, I wouldn't get very strong. Did you spend your pre-evolution days out here?"

"Yeah, I suppose that tradition wouldn't have died out so soon."

"No way. All scraggy are supposed to test their strength and toughen up out here in the desert. I've been out here for a few months now, all by myself. It's pretty easy, I find, there's just these stupid krokorok that won't leave me alone."

Ragland grunted something in reply, but the whistle of wind drowned out whatever words the serious-natured scrafty had to say. Instead of pressing for him to repeat what he'd said, Noah continued to guide his newfound friend by the hand, eager and cheerful as they approached a large wall of red stone.

"Told you, not very far at all!" Noah chirped, tugging on Ragland's hand eagerly, smiling wildly. "Come on, come on, it's this way!"

The scrafty was towed through a small opening into a decent-sized cavern. The first thing the fighter noticed was the moist sand below and the cool temperature surrounding them. It was dark, but the pair had sensitive eyes - the lack of light was never a trouble to either of them.

"This way!" Noah released his hand and skittered over to one side of the wall in excitement. "Here, these are mine!"

The scraggy motioned down to four small bushes growing close to the ground. It was surprising that they managed to grow so well without much sunlight.

"Isn't it hard to grow plants in the dark?"

"Usually, but there's a hole in my roof. I just need to go clear off the mud and it'll let in light. They seem to be fine to go a few days without it, though, so I wait for the days where the storm isn't as bad." As he spoke, Noah began rustling through one of the larger bushes, fingers pulling on the little yellow berries hiding under the dark leaves.

While he waited, Ragland fell back onto his tail, sitting comfortably in the cool, soft dirt below. He cast a blank look around the cavern, noting that the place had a child's touch, once one looked beyond the practicality of the location. There were pictures drawn on one wall in bright colours, picture decipherable as a scraggy with others of his kind and judging by the blotches of a darker orange, he'd drawn himself with scrafty, too. Ragland studied these pictures for a while, finding it to be not one big mural, but a collection of smaller pictures.

There was one where a scraggy (presumably Noah himself) was drawn in great detail with smaller beings of his kind around him. There were more scenes like that one, one where he was around two of scrafty, a pack of scraggy, one lone scrafty...

_Now I understand why he was so eager for company... _Ragland's cautious stare flicked to the boy as he rummaged through the bushes, now tending to the tree he'd picked from. _He's lonely._

"Here, fresh Sitrus berries! The best in the desert!" Noah scrambled up to him, all but falling into his elder comrade's lap, holding out ripe berries for him to take. Far more relaxed than the eager Noah, Ragland picked the berries out of the boy's outstretched hands and popped one into his mouth. Though it wasn't shown on his face, the berries did taste good. They carried the flavour of someone who spent a lot of time ensuring they'd be just perfect.

With each bite, the pain in the young scrafty's leg was diminishing. The kid certainly did a good job. By the time he'd polished off three juicy berries, the pain was gone entirely. He was left sitting empty-handed in the middle of the boy's cavern, looking down at the wide-eyed stare of the little gardener.

Feeling awkward and out-of-place under the admiring stare of the youngster, Ragland pushed himself back to his feet, testing his leg a few times before putting his full weight on it. When he felt daring enough, he launched into a Hi Jump Kick, leaping off the formerly bad leg and tearing through the air with blurring speed.

"Perfect," he said idly, landing back on both feet and bouncing a few times to displace his confined energy.

"You're okay!" Noah's cheered tone was blatantly stating the obvious, but Ragland felt no need to chastise him for it. Instead, he rolled his shoulders to loosen them and started for the exit. This dismissal wasn't missed by his pint-sized admirer: "Hey, where're you going?"

"Out, kid. I told you, I got stuff I need to do."

"You're not staying here?"

It was impossible to miss the intense disappointment in the boy's voice.

"I can't. I have...somewhere I need to be." Ragland turned his back a second time, only to feel a tug on his tail in the moments following. Noah had his tail in a tight hug, wide eyes looking for pity.

"Please don't go!" After pleading this so openly, the scraggy caught himself and shook his head rapidly, "I mean - stay until the storm has passed, you'll be safe here."

"That's not an option, Noah. I can't stay here."

He gave his tail a firm tug, but Noah still clung stubbornly, shutting his eyes as he held on tight. Heaving a sigh, Ragland turned his attention forward once more. He dragged a foot forward, stepping onto a shadow cast by a nearby rock. This contact with darkness was all he needed, for the scrafty melted into shadow, effectively slipping out of the youngster's grasp.

"Wha-" Noah grasped at empty air, wisps of shadow escaping from his grasp and weaving together once they were all free. A figure began to rematerialize in front of him, familiar and slowly becoming solid once again. The scraggy was sent skidding through the soft dirt when he was painfully kneed by the rematerializing scrafty.

"Sorry, kid, but I can't stay."

With that, Ragland turned and climbed out to the surface, leaving Noah to pick himself back up out of the dirt. It was obvious how much Ragland had held back with that Faint Attack, yet the burning in his stomach where he'd been hit told Noah that were he holding back any less, he would be out cold.

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><p>About fifteen minutes and four Sitrus berries later, Noah was feeling good enough to tend to the bare-branched berry trees, devoting as much attention as he possibly could to them in order to distract himself from his most recent let down. He trimmed and tended his trees until there really wasn't much more for him to do to them without cutting branches.<p>

He'd been sitting against the wall by his plants when everything suddenly went wrong.

It started with the shifting of the sands by the entrance way, which lead the little fighter to believe that Ragland decided to come back after realizing he couldn't withstand the storm. However, instead of an intimidating scrafty slipping through the entrance to his den, he watched as a large, crocodilian creature wormed its way inside. A krokorok.

"So this is where you were hiding!" it hissed, advancing on all fours towards the little fighter who had instantly sprung to his feet and took up a stance in front of his plants.

"Go away!" Noah took a few experimental jabs to the air, hoping it would motivate the much larger crocodile to stay back. It did nothing of the sort, and the krokorok continued to advance.

"To think you had such a nice set up in here and were holdin' out on me, squirt! Whatcha got there? Them berry plants?"

"No, leave!"

"Naw, I just got here! Don'tcha know how selfish it is to hog this sorta stuff to yourself? A squirt like you don't need all these berries - don't need this much space, neither."

"Leave me alone!"

Noah's desperate demands didn't seem to register to the other dark-type, who simply carried on as if the scraggy hadn't said a thing.

"Why don'tcha get lost, this is my place now!"

"No!" Buzzing with nerves, Noah scraped the ground with a foot, kicking up sand into the Krokorok's eyes. The creature snorted in irritation, rising up onto two legs as it rubbed at its eyes with its foreclaws. Noah's palm hit the ground, carrying his weight as he swept his foot along the ground, knocking his foe's feet out from underneath him.

As the crocodile scrambled to find its footing, Noah bounced back a few paces, heart pounding away in his chest as his arms shook with anticipation.

"You're gonna wish you didn't go an' do that, squirt," hissed the ancient reptile, staring down at the little creature and bearing a set of sharp teeth within a powerful jaw. Faster than Noah could hope to react, the beast shot forward and clamped down its jaws over his torso. Noah squealed, feeling sharp incisors threaten to price his tough skin. He squirmed, trying to pry open the jaws that squeezed him. He was released when the ground-type slammed him into the dirt headfirst.

It was the scraggy's notoriously thick skull that saved him then, but even as he scrambled to right himself, he was slapped into the wall with a mud-slathered tail.

"Stupid kid, pickin' fights ya can't win! I don't wantcher stinkin' berries no more, an' I'm thinkin' you shouldn't have 'em!"

The creature drew in a breath, an orange glow coming from deep within its belly and shining between the gaps in his maw.

"No!" Noah struggled to rise, finding his balance only as the crocodile exhaled fire, breathing it down onto the little trees Noah had worked so hard to raise in the dark. They went up in flames almost instantaneously, consumed by the Krokorok's flare. "No, no, no!" In anger and desperation, Noah dashed forward, launching himself headfirst into the crocodilian's gut. His headbutt did little more than wind his foe, for he was quickly smashed aside with that tail once again.

He was knocked into the burning bushes, scrambling out of them only due to the fact that the heat bit painfully into his skin. He collapsed just in front of his trees, biting back tears of loss and pain as the Krokorok laughed at the sight of him.

"Stupid, pathetic squirt! Let this be a lesson to ya'! When I ask fer summin', ya give it to me!" He spat at the child, who was too weak to do more than withdraw in distaste and shame. "Stupid kid," the krokorok repeated, turning away with one last snort in the boy's direction. He lowered himself onto all fours again and made for the entrance, squirming through the little hole and kicking sand up in his wake, leaving the boy lying wounded and alone in the smoke-filled cavern. His wheezing coughing continued even as he slipped away, the lack of oxygen making it hard to resist unconsciousness.

"Hey kid, stay awake."

A distant voice broke through his haze and Noah forced his eyes open, only to find himself unable to see clearly. He could feel himself moving, but he could still feel that terrible heat and hear the crackling sound of flames around him. He felt himself being lifted, instinctively clinging to whatever it was pulling him away from this painful place.

When he awoke again, he first became aware of the rythmatic, bobbing motion in which he was being moved. There was a pressure against his stomach and every part of him was sore. He coughed lamely, feeling a burning in his throat from all the smoke he'd inhaled. Slowly, his eyes opened, greeted with the sight of an orange back and a long yellow tail, moving just above an expanse of soft sand.

He squirmed instinctively, only to be stilled by a curt, familiar voice.

"Quit moving."

"Ragland?"

Noah propped his small hands against the scrafty's back and pushed himself upright. He'd been thrown over the taller lizard's shoulder in his unconsciousness. "What are you...how did you...?"

"I got a little turned around," said the fighter as he walked, staring absently ahead. "I ended up back at your little cave-thing in time to see that krokorok come slithering out. I figured by the smell of smoke, things hadn't gone well."

"So you...saved me?"

"If that's what you call pulling your unconscious ass out from underneath burning trees, then yes."

"Th-thank you!"

Craning his neck to see his saviour's face, the boy could've sworn he saw the scrafty blush ever so slightly, perhaps out of sheepishness.

"So," suddenly Noah was dropped to the ground, landing painfully on his tail and left looking up at the scrafty in surprise and wonder. He was still in pain from his previous bout, but he was willing to shove that aside to pay attention to the one who'd saved him from it. He practically beamed up to the inexpressive Ragland. "What're you going to do now?"

"Huh?"

"You said that place was your home. Are you planning to go back to it?"

"I...Well I guess I can't, really," said Noah, crestfallen.

Ragland folded his arms across his chest, frowned, and repeated his question - this time expecting to have it answered:

"So what are you going to do now?"

"...I dunno..." Noah turned his attention downward and fiddled with the sand in front of him. A thought did occur to him, but he was afraid to ask- afraid to be rejected. "Could I...possibly...maybe..." He hesitated, taking a moment to straighten out his thoughts, gather his courage and speak: "Could I maybe stay with-"

"Shush." He was silenced quickly, not only by the word itself but with a wave of the scrafty's hand as the reptile straightened out and focused on a nearby point of sand. "Stand up," he ordered, turning the face the shifting sands as Noah rushed to comply.

The spot under the scrafty's harsh stare shifted, parting to make way for a many-toothed jaw to poke through. The jaw proceeded a pair of dark eyes, a large, tan body and a familiar bulk. The Krokorok was back. He pulled himself out of the sand, focusing on the scrafty who faced him with such a defiant air about him. He met the stare for a while, before his eyes fell to the little one beside him. That jaw pulled into a mocking grin.

"Hey, you're still alive! That's quite the surprise coming from a runt like you." Mocking laughter followed this observation and Noah's faced burned with shame. He was being made fun of, and what was worse is that it was in front of Ragland - what would _he_ think?

Noah let out what he thought was close to a scary growl and clenched his fists, hiking up the pants that bunched around his hips before marching forward. He'd prove to both Ragland and this crocodile that he was tough!

"Stop," Ragland's arm appeared in front of him, effectively halting his determined march. It's a good thing he did, for the krokorok moved to allow two more of his kind to clamber out of the hole behind him.

"Oi, who's this fellow?" one said, poking her nose over the shoulder of the first. "'Aint never seen him 'round before!"

"A newcomer eh?" said the third, picking absently at his claws. "Does he know the rules yet, Krash?"

"I don't think so, Kip. Maybe we 'ought to tell 'im!"

"You gotta pay a toll to use this route 'ere!" chirped the female, shoving her brother aside. "Whatcha got?"

"Nothing of value to you," was Ragland's smooth response. As he spoke, he pushed Noah back and stepped in front of him.

"Well if ya can't pay the toll, we's jus' gonna have to teach you a lesson then won't we?"

"Atta girl, Kass!"

"You always need to be ready to pay the toll around here, stranger."

"Yeah, didn't the squirt tell you that? We figured he would know that by now!"

Ragland cast a gaze behind him to where the wounded scraggy stood. Up until that point, he'd let the fear on his face show through, safely hidden where the krokorok trio couldn't see it. When Noah realized his elder comrade was staring, he hid the fear behind anger, huffing and looking aside.

"Oi, Krash, he's ignorin' us!"

"Indeed, I don't like his attitude, brother."

"Right, then let's get this over with!" The first crocodile charged forward and straight at Ragland, who was only in the process of turning back as it happened. Ragland only had time to lift his arm in protection before the Krokorok clamped down his powerful jaws, catching the arm in his grip.

"There ya go, Krash!"

Krash began to pull on the scrafty's arm, as if intending to lift up the fighter by that grip and throw him as he'd done to the scraggy earlier. However, Ragland braced himself in the sand and only allowed the ground-type to drag him a few inches through the sand.

"When this is all over," he said calmly, though a confidant grin was beginning to stretch over his face, "just remember, I didn't start this fight." With that, Ragland tore his arm out of the Krokorok's fangs, ignorant to the lines of blood this action left behind. With his other hand, he pushed forward, hitting the ground-type hard in the chest with astounding Strength. Krash wheezed as he skidded back through the sand, his skidding stopped when his brother and sister caught him from behind.

Now acting on instinct, all three charged forward, teeth gnashing and claws gouging at the sand below. Ragland shoved the scraggy behind him away with his foot, then stepped forward, bringing himself low in order to catch the first charging crocodile and use his strength to launch it at the following. The remaining crook's jaws snapped down onto a wisp of shadow where the scrafty had been standing moments before. When Ragland re-materialized at his side, he was already mid-punch. When he struck, the Krokorok was sent tumbling through the dirt. The siblings stumbled over one another, struggling to rise at the same time, all eager to attack and prove themselves strong.

Ultimately, this uncoordinated violence was their undoing. More often than not, their eagerness to attack had them getting in each others' way. The scrafty simply had to watch, waiting for the last possible moment to move and pick the most opportune areas to strike. His blows would work out like a domino effect, one clumsy sibling falling into another after a particularily strong hit.

Noah watched with awe. Each of his protector's carefully thought out moves was quick, powerful and amazing to watch. Not only was he swift and deadly, but the scrafty was grinning as he fought, eyes shining with confidence and an almost sadistic pleasure as he delivered blow after blow. With every passing second, Noah could feel the thought forming in his head: That confidence, that strength - he wanted to be just like Ragland when he evolved. Strong, smart, quick - everything it took to be a true, talented fighter.

It wasn't long before only one krokorok had the nerve to keep striking - to launch another attack when his brother and sister had collapsed over one another in exhaustion, ready to admit defeat. This last foe barreled forward, jaws open and prepared to deliver a powerful crunch attack - preferably to that damn scrafty's neck - when suddenly Ragland's hands began to glow; the tips of each finger extended just slightly, closing off into a sharp point.

When the Krokorok was close enough, Ragland darted forward and slashed his foe across the face, once with one hand and then again with the other. The force of his final slash had been enough to send the ground-type spinning until he collapsed into the sand.

"Whoa!"

Noah applauded madly from his vantage point, but Ragland seemed less thrilled by his success. He turned and quickly headed towards the scraggy, muttering a quiet, 'Come on' as he passed him. Noah eagerly followed, which he would've done even if he hadn't been told to.

"That was so cool! They way you punched that one and then kicked that other one, and then that one bit you and then you threw it and wow! What was that move?"

"Which one?"

"The one you just did with the glowing hands and whatnot. Can I learn it?"

Ragland was quiet and failed to say anything in response for quite some time. He simply walked rather rapidly in the direction of wherever-it-was he was heading. He didn't pay any attention to his handful of wounds, specifically the nasty one where the Krokorok's teeth had torn the flesh on his arm. It was now covered in blood and dripped, creating an unsightly - _but super cool! _thought Noah - blood trail in the dirt.

Eventually, Noah came to recognize the shapes appearing on the horizon before them.

"H-hey, do you know where we are?"

"Maybe."

"That's the city over there...we're getting awfully close to the main road."

"Yup."

"Where are you going?"

Ragland paused, half-turning to face his little follower with a blank expression, trying to formulate an answer in his head.

"Ragland! Hey, Ragland! Carter! Are you out there? Is that you?"

Noah's eyes widened at the calls for the scrafty that weren't coming from him and weren't in their language. He peered around the taller reptile to where a blurred shape on the road was waving in the distance. Instead of explaining, Ragland simply turned and started towards the shape - the human shape. Noah hesitated for a moment, then scrambled to follow, grabbing onto Ragland's tail and holding tightly to it. The scrafty did not stop and the little scraggy was dragged along in the sand behind him.

"H-Hey! Who is that girl? Do you know her?" At this, Ragland stopped. He did not turn to see the scraggy's expression, though was somehow aware it was both curious and saddened.

_Lonely, _Ragland reminded himself.

"Carter!"

"Carter?"

"Noah, let go."

Noah wasn't quite sure why, but at the scrafty's curt and demanding tone, he was suddenly filled with a renewed determination; he was done being pushed around.

"No."

The scraggy frowned and clung tighter to the tail. Ragland rounded on him, fist clenched as if planning to punch the little creature off.

"Carter, there you are!"

* * *

><p>The scrafty turned at the sound of his name, giving the human female a blank stare before huffing and offering her a sheepish smile in greeting.<p>

"I was worried," she said, walking towards him, "that gust threw my bag and all of you into the desert, I've been searching for hours! I found Dominic when I found my bag, but everyone else is missing. He's busy trying to find the others right now." It was then that the girl noticed the torn-up arm and the blood that dripped into the sand below. "What happened?"

The next thing she noticed was the little scraggy clinging stubbornly to her scrafty's tail.

"Oh?" She approached it slowly, smiling in adoration of the way it held up the tail in its grip to protect himself, hiding most of his body behind it. "Isn't he just the cutest, Carter? I remember when you were that small!" She heard the scrafty scoff behind her, but she ignored her ill-natured fighter in order to speak to the creature in front of her. "Hey little guy, I'm not gonna hurt you."

The scraggy peered out from behind the borrowed tail. She crouched down to his level and smiled as he came out from hiding, approaching her slowly. What she wasn't expecting was for the little creature to suddenly headbutt her, knocking her back on her bottom. The scrafty reacted instantly, stepping to his trainer's side and giving the wild pokemon a good punt across the sand.

"No, Ragland, it's okay! He's just doing what comes naturally." The girl rubbed at the crown of her head, her hand coming off bloody. "Heh, now we both need medical attention, don't we?" She laughed back to her scrafty, who scoffed. "Well, if he wants to be left alone, we won't bother him. We still have to find the others, after all. I imagine Malcolm isn't quite enjoying this weather," she turned her back to the scraggy, intentionally ignoring the way he picked himself out of the sand with difficulty. "Maybe we'll find him if we just follow the pillars of fire he's bound to start shooting off soon."

She chuckled to herself as she headed towards the road, the scrafty huffing and going to follow, his hands habitually finding the pockets of his 'pants'. Neither of them quite expected the little scraggy to return so quickly. This time, he sat stubbornly on the tail of the scrafty, who turned and upon spotting this, made a hostile noise from somewhere within his throat.

"It's alright, Ragland, it looks like you've got a new admirer!" She turned to the little lizard again, this time remaining at her Pokemon's side and away from the scraggy's thick skull. "You're more than welcome to join us if you'd like, Scraggy. We're looking for the rest of our friends, I'm sure you'd be a big help!"

She held out a hand in welcome, though within the palm of that hand was a familiar red-and-white object. A pokeball. The scraggy hesitated, looking from the little ball to the frowning scrafty. The girl could only imagine what was going on in the child's head, for he seemed to stare at Ragland for quite some time before he inched forward and tapped the button on the ball with his fist.

* * *

><p>As Noah was consumed with a strangely warm, red light, one thought rang out above all others:<p>

_I'm gonna be as strong as him, no matter what!_

* * *

><p><strong>Woo! Finish line!<strong>

**I may or may not do other Zuru/ScraggyScrafty onesies involving these to. Might not. Regardless, let me know what you thought with a review. I would very much appreciate it. Writing is a lonely business and everyone likes to know someone took the time to read something they wrote and actually liked it. So yeah. Uhm. Hi?**

**Review, please. It would make my day :3**

**Thank you so much for reading**

**Toodles~**

**Shmee**

**P.S. Check out SupaScrag's gallery. It was a huge inspiration here.**


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